Tree Line

By CHERYL FIALKOFF, Special to The Courant and The Hartford Courant, August 29, 2013

Traveling up a long, gently winding driveway past mountain laurel and rock outcroppings shaded by tall evergreens, visitors begin to feel they are a world away as they approach Joanne and Clay Bassett's deceptively large Cape on Pilfershire Lane in West Simsbury. "Far View," as they call it, is Simsbury's highest residential property. Chances are, Joanne will be outside to greet you, standing amid the colorful blossoms of her flower garden. She knows someone is on the way up because a security system with intercoms in each room alerts the Bassetts to visitors.

By PETER MARTEKA, pmarteka@courant.com and The Hartford Courant, May 13, 2014

GLASTONBURY - The possiblity of locating communication towers in South Glastonbury is back - but only in the abstract. The town council will hold a public informational hearing tonight to gather thoughts from area residents on how they feel about several potential tower locations on town-owned land. Town Manager Richard J. Johnson said Message Center Management has expressed interest in leasing town-owned land for a tower. Potential sites include the Old Cider Mill property along Main Street; Winter Hill Farm near Hebron; and open space in the area of Hebron Avenue.

Responding to property owners' concerns, the planning and zoning commission has modified its proposed regulations limiting the cutting of trees on Avon Mountain. At tonight's meeting, thecommission will hold a hearing on a new draft of the proposed regulations. The revised version would give homeowners the right to maintain their existing views of the Farmington River valley and allow them to cut trees if the homeowners enlarge their houses. The new draft is a compromise between homeowners who want to be able to use their property and other residents who value a heavily wooded tree line.

By PETER MARTEKA, pmarteka@courant.com and The Hartford Courant, February 11, 2014

A proposal to construct communication towers in South Glastonbury is back. Town Manager Richard J. Johnson told the town council Tuesday that Message Center Management has expressed interest in leasing town-owned land. Potential sites include the Old Cider Mill property along Main Street; Winter Hill Farm and open space near Hebron Avenue. The council made no decisions Tuesday except to instruct Johnson to hold a public informational hearing on MGM's proposals sometime in May. Johnson said the hearing would be "a first step in the review process.

By PETER MARTEKA, pmarteka@courant.com and The Hartford Courant, May 13, 2014

GLASTONBURY - The possiblity of locating communication towers in South Glastonbury is back - but only in the abstract. The town council will hold a public informational hearing tonight to gather thoughts from area residents on how they feel about several potential tower locations on town-owned land. Town Manager Richard J. Johnson said Message Center Management has expressed interest in leasing town-owned land for a tower. Potential sites include the Old Cider Mill property along Main Street; Winter Hill Farm near Hebron; and open space in the area of Hebron Avenue.

By PETER MARTEKA, pmarteka@courant.com and The Hartford Courant, February 11, 2014

A proposal to construct communication towers in South Glastonbury is back. Town Manager Richard J. Johnson told the town council Tuesday that Message Center Management has expressed interest in leasing town-owned land. Potential sites include the Old Cider Mill property along Main Street; Winter Hill Farm and open space near Hebron Avenue. The council made no decisions Tuesday except to instruct Johnson to hold a public informational hearing on MGM's proposals sometime in May. Johnson said the hearing would be "a first step in the review process.

The Connecticut Light and Power Co. has begun trimming tree branches and underbrush along 51 miles of electrical distribution lines in the city. Crews from Asplundh Tree Experts Co. have been contracted to do the work, which is expected to continue through the end of the year. Asplundh workers will inform residents of any work being done on their property, and cards explaining the work will be left at the doors of customers who are not home. Trimming and other tree work is being done to clear lines of branches that could disrupt power if they fell during severe weather, according to CL&P District General Manager Robert Drain.

High winds from a sudden storm that tore through the northeast corner of town Friday toppled trees and brought down power lines on several streets off Route 159, authorities said. First Selectman Edward Ferrari said that no one was injured in the event, which took place about 2:15 p.m., but that about 20 large trees fell and broken branches littered yards. He said parts of Suffield Street, Pleasant Street, Ahern Avenue and Northwood Drive were hit hardest. "We've got trees that came out right at the roots," he said.

Town officials and the builders of multimillion-dollar houses on the Avon Mountain ridge line are trying to find a middle ground between giving the owners spectacular views and maintaining the tree line for the rest of the town to see. "Everything that has to do with zoning is a balance between rights, and what is perceived as the public good," said Robert Meyers, chairman of the planning and zoning commission. For ridge-line houses in two subdivisions under construction, typical commission-imposed conditions include no cutting within 25 feet of the side yard, locating the house away from the ridge line, and restrictions on tree cutting to achieve no more than "broken views" of the new homes from the Farmington Valley.

Take a drive along the scenic winding roads of the Stony Corners neighborhood, in the eastern part of town, and it's not hard to see why these homes, built in the early 1960s, remain popular. Large brick colonials, many with stone wall aprons, stand back from the road, shaded by tall pines and oaks. Beneath the ambiance, however, there is something else -- something not readily apparent -- that residents say gives the neighborhood an enormous staying power: a strong sense of community.

By CHERYL FIALKOFF, Special to The Courant and The Hartford Courant, August 29, 2013

Traveling up a long, gently winding driveway past mountain laurel and rock outcroppings shaded by tall evergreens, visitors begin to feel they are a world away as they approach Joanne and Clay Bassett's deceptively large Cape on Pilfershire Lane in West Simsbury. "Far View," as they call it, is Simsbury's highest residential property. Chances are, Joanne will be outside to greet you, standing amid the colorful blossoms of her flower garden. She knows someone is on the way up because a security system with intercoms in each room alerts the Bassetts to visitors.

Storms moved through the northwest corner of the state Wednesday night, bringing heavy rain and wind, knocking down trees and power lines in some towns. Wind damage was reported in Norfolk and in Salisbury, with trees and wires down, as of 10 p.m. CL&P reported about 1,000 people without power, including about 600 in the northwest corner towns, at about 11:30 p.m. Severe thunderstorm warnings in effect for Litchfield, Hartford and Tolland counties expired by 10 p.m., though strong storms were still moving across the center of the state.

By DAVID OWENS, dowens@courant.com and The Hartford Courant, August 16, 2012

Lightning struck a tree at 38 Church St. as a heavy storm moved through the area about 9 a.m. Thursday. The strike also damaged a natural gas service line running from the street to the house, Newington Fire Chief Chris Schroeder said. Church Street was closed as a Connecticut Natural Gas crew made repairs. There was no damage to the house and no gas detected in the house, Schroeder said.

Police and fire officials responded to Randolph Road Wednesday evening after two trees fell on top of power lines, police said. According to police, the neighborhood is without power and no one was injured. We tell you what's happening, when it happens, for FREE: Sign-up for Breaking News Mobile Subscribe to our Breaking News E-mails Try the News@3 Newsletter

By JULIE STAGIS, jstagis@courant.com and The Hartford Courant, February 19, 2011

Police have closed Washington Street near Brookview Drive after high winds knocked a tree down onto power lines, police said. The tree caused a telephone pole to fall at the intersection of Brookview Drive and Washington Street, and brought down power lines at the intersection of Washington and Church streets, according to police. The area is expected to be blocked at least until Sunday morning, police said. Traffic is being directed to Birch and Phoenix streets. Motorists and residents are urged to avoid the area until it reopens.

Lightning was the possible cause of a fire Friday night at a South Main Street trailer park that destroyed a shed and damaged a mobile home, officials said. The woman who lives in the home was not there at the time of the 8:30 p.m. fire, which ignited at about the same time that a storm hit town, downing trees and power lines. Debris strewn across Route 5 delayed the response of North End fire companies, which were heading out to assist South End units at the trailer park at 294 South Main St., said Warehouse Point Fire Chief James Barton.

Severe weather moved into northern Connecticut around 5 p.m. Tuesday with tornado warnings in Litchfield County and thunderstorms that brought hail and high wind that knocked down tree limbs and power lines. The warnings expired by 9 p.m. The stormy weather continued into Wednesday morning, with thunder and lightning waking people up. "So, they got you out of bed a little earlier than normal today," FOX CT Meteorologist Joe Furey said during the FOX CT Morning News. The tornado warning was issued for northern Litchfield County around 5 p.m. Tuesday At 5:29 p.m., radar showed a severe thunderstorm capable of producing a tornado 12 miles southwest of Great Barrington, Mass., north of Litchfield County, moving southeast at 15 mph, according to the National Weather Service.

The sleek sign welcomed folks to Smartville, a quaint Anywhere, U.S.A., sort of town where the trees are lush, the sun shines bright and - one quickly learns by way of commercial voice-over - the smart folks sign up for Comcast's "triple-play" package of bundled services. As two women jog down the street, with wide grins and not a bit of sweat, an anonymous voice assures that "you can ... get a bundle that fits your lifestyle." The women suddenly halt, then trudge back up the street as a truck carrying a camera and crew inches behind them in reverse.